Letter from Robert Owen of Braxfield, [Lanarkshire] to 'the London Partners in the firm of Robert Owen and Co', 24 Oct 1814. Sending monthly accounts [missing]. Attributing poor trading in cotton to political instability in Europe; explains that unprofitable sales in Russia must continue until the market improves so that the mills [at New Lanark] can be kept working.
Owen , Robert , 1771-1858 , socialist and philanthropistLetter from William Henry Leatham of 45 St James Place, St James's, London to the Rt Hon Sir Stafford H Northcote, Bart, MP, HM Secretary of State for India, 9 Jul 1868. Stating that he will forward the offer of a collection of plates (for a price of £100) illustrating the textile manufactures of India, to the Industral and Fine Art Institution (and museum), at Wakefield; giving the names of three officials in Wakefield who might be concerned with the offer.
Autograph, with signature.
Leatham , William Henry , 1815-1889 , poet and politicianLetter from Peter Stephen DuPonceau of Phildelphia, [Pennsylvania] to J Vaughan, Esq, 19 Nov 1831. Asking him 'to send the enclosed [a copy of An Historical Review of the ... Silk Culture, Manufacture and Trade, etc (1831)] to your excellent nephew'.
Autograph, with signature.
DuPonceau , Peter Stephen , 1760-1844 , French linguist, philosopher, and jurist x Ponceau , Pierre-Etienne , Du x Du Ponceau , Pierre-EtienneLetter from J Cross of London to [Mr Oriel], 14 Apr 1794. 'I laid your proposal respecting the mill at Quemerford [near Calne, Wiltshire] before my Lord Lansdown [i.e. the Marquess of Lansdowne], in answer to which he had directed me to give you, in his own words, his opinion of the use of machinery in the cloathing manufacture - vizt "Nothing can be more mistaken than the prejudice conceived against machinery, nor could be more unfortunate for the country if suffer'd to prevail - for the consequence must be, the transfer of the manufacture either to the North of England, where the prejudice has been got the better of, and where they experience the advantage, or else to foreign countrys - or part to one and part to the other. Calne is calculated to be the seat of it, much better than either Chippenham or Devizes, or any town which I can immediately recollect, and independent of the great increase of trade, it would create a number of mechanists, and promote in consequence every sort of ingenuity, which would make up abundantly the loss sustain'd by the spinners; besides the navigations which are proposed [i.e. the Wilts and Berks Canal] will furnish a great deal of work; but rather than attempt any thing so arbitrary & absurd as to stop the progress of the machinery, I am very clear it would be better to come to a general rise of wage, especially if every person was compell'd at the same time to belong to some amicable society ...".'
Autograph, with signature.
Cross , J , fl 1794 , acquaintance of the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne